Steve’s Blog

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Audio message: Dealing with the Past, The Present and the Future
by Steve Highlander
(3rd message down in the archive.)

There are times in every person’s life where they seem to get bogged down or, in other terms, stuck!  They are still doing all the stuff: going to church, reading their Bible, praying, serving; often with more fever than before.  Meanwhile, well intentioned people tell them, (depending on their particular brand of church), you need to pray more; worship more; read more; serve more; forgive more!  DO SOMETHING MORE THAN YOU ARE DOING NOW!  This is the church’s solution to just about everything: DO MORE!  Usually it has nothing to do with doing more.  Most often there is another reason for the “stuckedness,” especially when you’ve been an active Christian

Every Christian must learn how to successfully deal with the past, the present and the future if they want to maintain a steadily increasing Christian journey.  Failure to  deal with these three areas, in a Biblical manner, will bring your spiritual life to a grinding halt.  Dealing with them successfully on the other hand often propels you to the next level of spiritual growth.

Paul gave us his personal strategy for spiritual growth in Philippians 3:10-16.  He says, “this ONE thing I do….”  But then he goes on to mention three things.  I believe Paul was telling us he treated these three matters as a single issue, because failing to deal with one area would hinder spiritual growth.  The ONE issue was dealing with the past, the present and the future.

The gist of the message is in verses 13 and 14

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, [past] and reaching forth unto those things which are before, [future] I press toward the mark [present] for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

In a nut shell Paul said, I do not let the past chain me down so I can not go forward.  I have a vision for my future that is propelling me forward with purpose and direction and every day I press towards the purpose of God in my life regardless of distractions, temptations or problems.

At the end of his life Paul was able to say, “I have run the race, I have finished my course, I am ready to sacrifice my life for God as the final act of love.”  This is a guy that I want to listen to.

Rather than repeat all of the message here I have an (free) audio version online and would recommend you take time to listen to it.  This practical message will give you some ideas and tools for the challenge of dealing with your past, present and future.

May 2010 be your best year yet in the Kingdom of God.  I pray with the apostle John,

“May you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.”

Steve and Brooke

For over a year now I have been preaching, not only the need for a second reformation of the church, but the reality of it happening all across America.  During the discussions with various people in various venues the question usually arises, “Just what do you think needs to be reformed?”  The next few blog articles will discuss some things in the modern church that need a serious make over.

The concept of reformation is to take what exists and remold it - much like you would take modeling clay and change its shape - but not its substance. It remains clay regardless of the shape you mold it into.  We will never change the spiritual nature of the church or the truth of the gospel message.  The spiritual reality of the true Church does not change and does not need to change.  Indeed it will never change. However the structure; the form; the outward appearance of how we DO church has changed dramatically over the last 2000 years. Those changes - some good and some bad - impacted the eternal message and the effectiveness of the church to fulfill its purpose in God’s plan. For an interesting look at how we try to control the Holy Spirit in our services today see my E-Book The Domestication of the Spirit.

The goal of reformation is not to change the essential essence of the Church, but the man-made additions that have slowly come  to the point of being on the same level as Biblical instruction.  (For a more detailed look at the the need for a second reformation see my E-Book The Second Reformation. Today many things happen in church that are simply not Biblical, nor spiritual.  Decades (and in some cases centuries) of tradition have brought the church to the place of idolatry where good people have substituted some cherished tradition for spiritual reality.  While tradition has its place in church, Jesus told the Jews in no uncertain terms, “You have made the Word of God of no effect by your tradition.” It is this dilemma that I believe with all my heart is the fulcrum of the second reformation now taking place in lives all across America.

True reformation involves people.  The Bible always defines the church as the people, not a building, organization, denomination or other entity.  To reform the Church is to reform the people as they gather together.  As people’s hearts are changed the way they come together to experience church will also change.

With these foundational thoughts in mind I would like to list a few things that need to be reformed in the modern American church.  I will briefly mention some issues here and expound on them one by one in coming blog articles.

The general concept that reduces church to a religious organization to which we belong
Unfortunately for many church goers church is not much more that a religious social club, like the Optimists, Lions, Rotary or host of others.  Look at the similarities:  The meet weekly for “fellowship” and organizational business. Most offer a prayer over the meal. Some, like rotary sing a few songs.  There are announcements, committees and the ever present “Sargent at arms” (Deacon/usher/etc.)  They pay dues (tithes and offerings) and there is generally some type of informational or motivational message.  And it is usually done in an hour. (Church gets out at 12 right?  Isn’t that in the Bible somewhere?)

Even given the fact that in most churches the Bible is preached and prayer offered, the whole concept is not about actually doing much more than “being a good member of the club.”

Christianity has become a “spectator sport.”
A critical area of reformation has to be the concept that people “go to church” as spectators.  In too many places the service becomes a presentation complete with lights, music, entertainment and motivational messages.  The “chosen few” (pastor worship leader, praise band, etc) do all the stuff and the most that is expected from the members is to be faithful to show up, support the programs and bring their offering.  Church was never meant to be something we attended as a spectator, but as a participant.  Congregational participation must return to the church - no matter what external form the services take, be it a traditional setting or a house church.

Church government needs to be reformed
The concept of the pastor as head of the church and CEO of the organization is not Biblical.  In fact, a single pastor church structure is not found anywhere in the Bible.  It came from the early Roman Catholic tradition.  Everywhere the Bible speaks of church leadership it speaks in a plural form: Elders, deacons, etc.  In fact the word “pastor” is only used twice in the New Testament and always as a descriptive term, never as a position - and certainly not the “head of the church.”  The Bible only ever speaks of Jesus as the “head of the church.”  The church needs to return to a plurality of servant leadership as opposed to the professional CEO/pastor /celebrity concept we have today.

The Evangelical message has drifted off course
Two very serious problems are occurring with the evangelical message today. The first is what might be termed an “easy believism.”  The Gospel message has been reduced to a tract and a prayer, or a “walk to the altar” in some churches.  The message is reduced to simply having one’s sins forgiven and obtaining a ticket to heaven.  Little is said about God’s eternal purposes, Lordship, holiness and personal service to the Master.  Jesus is presented as the “fix-it guy”.  He’ll fix your sin problem, He’ll fix your money problems and your marriage problems, etc.  And, when something is not “fixed” forthright, the “converts” to easy believism, having no depth of root, whither and die according to Jesus’ parable of the seed and the sower.

The second crucial problem is the “gospel of comfort.”  We have created an Americanized form of the gospel, which really isn’t the gospel at all.  Because of the unparalleled prosperity of America and the “entitlement” attitude of the last couple of generations, Americans have become obsessed with instant gratification and comfort.  It is no surprise that the message is tailored to meet that mindset.  However, our carnal comfort - physical or even emotional - was never God’s ultimate purpose.  The early Christians (and many of those who are really living for Christ today) struggled intensely to live for Jesus, swimming upstream in a world opposed to God.  God still calls his people to be counter-cultural and to sacrificial living.  That does not preach well in comfy churches.  A friend once said, “John 3:16 is the scariest verse in the Bible.  If God did not hesitate to spare His own Son to reach the world, what makes me think He would willing to spare me?”

Heresy - Dividing the Body of Christ with schisms and individuality
The word “heretic” in the Bible is actually means ”Schismatic” or one who causes schisms or divisions.”  We’ve come look at heresy as some unbiblical doctrine.  However good doctrine, used to the point of dividing the organic unity of the Body of Christ is also heresy; not the doctrine, but the attitude. I can’t tell you the number of people who are more interested in WHAT you believe, than they are in WHO you believe in.  Doctrine is important, but not to the exclusion of true believers.  Then there are the people who love your church until you say ONE thing they don’t agree with, then they become schismatics, claiming some Biblical ground for seperating themselves.  Doctrinal agreement is NOT the basis of Christian fellowship - Jesus Christ as Lord and the Spirit of God as the indweller is.  Along these lines, the need of control causes more and more Christians to seperate into smaller and smaller groups so they can have everything just the way they want. 

While the Protestant reformation was born of God and a necessary thing in the history of the Church, the one thing it did was allow for hundreds of denominational schisms to inflict the Body of Christ with heretical divisions.  This individualism must be dealt with, for there really is only “one Lord, One faith, one baptism.”  Paul states palinly in Ephesians 4 that Church will exist until we “all come to the unity of the faith” and unto the perfect expression of Jesus Christ in the corporate Body.

 While there are more issues we can put done.  These key issues will carry us forward for a few articles.

May you wrestle with God over these issues as Jacob wrestled with God and walked away changed: limping, but blessed, with a new name and a new destiny in God’s kingdom purposes.

Steve

(Author’s note: This article is the first of several articles dealing with a Biblical response to what is happening in our world.)

I sit at the computer with a complex mix of emotions and thoughts.  Somewhere in the middle of the religious, social and political maelstrom that exists today is a Biblically balanced view of what is actually happening in the world today and how to prepare for it as Christians.  I offer neither a “head-in-the-sand” approach or sensationalism and hype. I hope to offer a Biblical perspective and suggest an appropriate response.

It is obvious that our world has turned a corner.  It appears that even our own country has started down a path that will change things from here on out.  I believe we are approaching the last days at a rapid pace.  There is cause for concern all around us.  In the mid ’80s God spoke to my heart and said, “I have called you to warn them and prepare them.”  The obvious question is: “warn them and prepare them for WHAT?”  I believe that answer to be: THE LAST DAYS. 

It is extremely important to know what we are preparing for.  Preparing for the wrong thing means we are unprepared for what will actually happen.  Preparing for the right thing in the wrong way is equally disastrous.

Likewise it is important HOW we warn people and HOW we prepare them.  Fear, anger and self-righteous indignation will truly motivate some people, but does it get the job done in the long run?  Does it prepare us correctly for the right thing?  And above all, does it genuinely reflect God’s plan and nature?

 I worked in the secular media for over 20 years.  HYPE sells!  Controversy increases print sales and viewership.  And in the religious arena sensationalism in the pulpit (wooden, print, electronic or otherwise) still generates dollars for the offering plate.  In fact, people  with strong views, religious or political (God help us when they collide), are the easiest to get stirred up.  Just draw a cartoon making fun of Mohamed and see what the Muslims have to say about it.  The secular media pundits know that in the grab for market share they MUST stir stuff up.  A mundane news night means fewer advertising dollars.  After all, they do what they do for a living.

While I do not argue that there are some significant and even scary things blowing in the political, social and religious winds, I am greatly troubled by the tremendous amount of hatred, fear and plain old hype coming out of some corners; especially those people who claim to speak for God.  Fear, hatred and speculation are NEVER God’s methods.  I reject those things wholesale as being beneath the mandate of the Church which  to love our enemies and preach the gospel of the Kingdom. 

The world is not being drawn to Christ because of the political agenda of some, but rather it is being ridiculed, mocked and ignored.  Why?  Because it has not presented the NATURE Christ.  It has tried to present the LAW without the SPIRT.  Jesus and Paul both said the law without the spirit is DEATH.  Jesus said, “The words I speak unto you are spirit and life.” 

Keeping the ten commandments has never saved, nor ever will save a single person.  So telling people to live by them seems a bit ridiculous unless it is presented in the context of saving grace.  Politics is not about salvation, it is about social control.  The key to maintaining a Christian nation is evangelism and discipleship, not politics.  If a person is converted and doesn’t want to have an abortion or live with a gay lover it is more effective than creating a law saying they can’t.  History proves people ignore laws in favor of their own personal choices.  (E.G. drugs, prostitution, etc.)

The Church’s response to world conditions need to be biblical, spiritual and honest, without emotional sensationalism.  God has not given us a spirit of fear (timidity; cowardliness), but of of power (GR: miracle working power), love (GR: Agape; self-sacrificing) and of a sound mind (GR: self controlled).  In other words the Christian, walking in God’s Spirit, is not motivated by fear, driven by hatred or given over to despair and hopelessness.  Instead they present a peaceful assurance in the God they serve as Did Jesus before the Roman authorities at His trial, the apostles in front of the Sanhedrin and countless others before courts, popes and tyrants throughout the ages.

The Bible is plain.  Some awesome and terrible things will happen in the last days, but that was only part of the story and not the most significant.  The other part is the triumph of God over evil and finally death. The days ahead of us are a catalyst to move people to or from God.  The Church has one of the greatest opportunities to win souls just before us.  Let’s make sure we are preaching the right message.  Remember, Jesus said, “my kingdom is NOT of this world.”

It is an understatement to say that for millions of Christians the modern American version of Christianity is a gospel of personal comfort, if not prosperity.  Capitalism and politics have slowly been integrated into the evangelical gospel message to the point we can’t separate them anymore.  In light of the “God loves me and wants me to be happy” gospel, the question begs to be asked: “What about the concept of living sacrificial lives for the sake of the Kingdom of God?”  The reality is God loves you and wants you to be holy.”  Your happiness is of secondary concern to God.

At least a few people just clicked off to another web site because I slew their sacred cow of personal comfort and convenience.  If you’ve read this far I commend you. I encourage you to read on.

Earlier this year God instructed me to become involved with Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) a Christian organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians around the world by informing Christians and getting them involved and by providing direct support: emotionally, physically and spiritually to Christians who have been wounded, had family members murdered or lost homes and property to severe persecution.  I highly recommend you check out this ministry for your own sake, as well as participating in the suffering of Christ around the world.  They have several free resources you can request. http://www.persecution.com/,  More on VOM in a future blog.

Honestly, participating in VOM has shaken me somewhat.  I am forced to remember that as Americans we have many freedoms and privileges afforded us through our constitution (for which I am thankkful).  For most of us, the idea of suffering involves the temporary loss of some comfort or convenience.  When I read of the accounts of Christians in Viet Nam or Iran or Pakistan (the Bible is illegal in 57 countries)  being murdered or maimed and their property stolen and houses burned (without any legal protection) it makes me wonder if the American version of Church and the gospel would make much of an impact over there.

We might tritely claim that if we were there it wouldn’t happen to us because of our faith.  Do we really think these people have no faith?  If that is so how come Christian evangelists continue going into areas where they are repeatedly beaten and persecuted.  How come widows continue to believe in God after having watched their husbands hacked to death and perhaps a child maimed.  A young evangelist in Pakistan was recently asked how many times he went into a certain Muslim area to witness.  He counted on his fingers and answered.  Then he was asked how many times he had been persecuted and suffered beatings there.  Once again he counted on his fingers, then said with a smile, “only 1/2 as many times I as I have gone.”

To much of the Christian world the Americanized version of the gospel just wouldn’t make sense nor ring true.  If you get a bunch of preachers together in America, you will ultimately be asked, “well, how many people are there in your church?”  This is the litmus test of success comparison.  Our validity as ministers often hinge on the size of our church. You can tell because those with smaller churches will say something like, “Well we have 120 on the membership roles.”  (Meaning about 40 show up every week.)  However in China when leaders get together they ultimately ask, “how many times have you been in prison for preaching the gospel?”  There is a a bit of a different viewpoint on what successful ministries all all about.

The bottom line is this: The gospel of comfort is not the gospel of the Bible.  I am concerned for American Christians because I see the tide turning economically and spiritually.  I am not at all sure the American church is ready to survive, let alone thrive in days ahead.  Yet it was just this environment that was the seedbed of early Chrsitianity.  They turned the world upside down in the midst of a pagan culture with a government that was hostile to them. 

Too many people have made comfort their god and convenience their message.  It is time the Church of Jesus Christ returned to a Biblical message of living for the kingdom, making personal sacrifices (beyond a bit of inconvenience) and commit to walk with God come what may.  Jesus said, “If you suffer with me, you will also reign with me.”

As a pastor and counselor I have seen way too many people get mad at God and turn away because they didn’t get something they wanted.  They are the “seeds sown on stony ground” Christians (Matthew 13).  Christians that are shallow and have no depth; no root.  Their Christianity is self-centered and self-serving.  Jesus said of these Christians, “for when tribulation (difficulties) or persecution arises for the Word’s sake, they wither and die.”  If it isn’t comfortable they are not interested.  If it doesn’t somehow enrich their overall life they are not interested.  If it is not convenient they are not interested.  If the costs outweigh the personal benefits they are not interested.

I am wholeheartedly committed to the concept of spiritual reformation in the Church. One thing that must be reformed is the message being preached.  It is not one of  doom and gloom, it is one of standing strong for the sake of the Kingdom, serving God and reaching a lost generation with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, no matter what the personal cost might be.

I realize this is not a cheery, feel good message, but it is a necessary one. 

II Timothy 2:9-13

“I’m suffering disgrace for spreading this Good News. I have even been put into prison like a criminal. However, God’s word is not imprisoned. For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive salvation from Christ Jesus with glory that lasts forever. This is a statement that can be trusted: If we have died with him, we will live with him. If we endure, we will rule with him. If we disown him, he will disown us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful because he cannot be untrue to himself.”

Paul’s great faith didn’t provide a cushion against inconvenience or discomfort.  More often than not it caused his problems, but it also allowed God to work mightly through him to reach others and comfort him when no earthly thing could.

I commend you to the grace of God.  AMEN!

With you in His service … Steve

Tags: Christian suffering, persecution, Voice of the Martyrs

The Disciples came to Jesus on occasion and said, “Lord, increase our faith.”  (One notable time was when He was talking about forgiving others 70 times 7.)  What is real faith and how can it be increased?  I believe the first step is to define Biblical faith.

In the past 40 years the subject of FAITH has permeated large segments of Christianity.   Going back even further, faith is at the heart of every Christian church. Today we have “faith” churches; “faith” teachers, “faith” ministries and even “The Faith Message.”  We refer to our doctrinal system as “faith,” i.e. “What faith are you?”  Meaning, are you Catholic, Baptist, Lutheren or Pentecostal?  We encourage people to “keep the faith.” However, for all of this I find that many Christians really do not have a Biblical grasp of faith. 

Too often, in its modern form, faith has been reduced to “believing God for something.”  More often than not it is something material.  Too many times it is about pleasure and comfort and prosperity.  It is strange that I have never heard one ”faith teacher” talk about believing God for 100 souls to be saved.  Perhaps they do, but I can not remember one modern faith message that talks about using faith to believe God for spiritual things.

What is the nature of Faith?  Is it simply believing God for something?  Some would have us believe that you can “name it and claim it,” to use an old worn out cliche.  But is faith much more significant that telling God what we want and then believing He will come through for us?  I think it is.

Genuine Biblical faith starts in Romans 4:3, “Abraham BELIEVED God and it was counted to him for righteousness.”  You should read all of Romans 4 to get the entire impact, but I will only mention two important thoughts here.

The first key thought that defines faith is found in the statement,”Abraham BELIEVED God.”  It did not say Abraham believed IN God.  Here is the tricky point for many people.  They believe that faith is basically believing IN God.  You might ask someone if they have faith and they would respond, “I believe in God.”  Well that is not quite what God had in mind when He said, “without faith it is impossible to please Him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)  God-pleasing faith not only believes He IS, it believes He acts on our behalf according to this scripture.

In discussing the issue of faith, James seems a bit sarcastic when he says, “You believe in one God, you do well, but will you know that the demons also believe and tremble.”  (James 2:19) Remember that when James wrote this they were not living in the midst of an atheistic society, but a very religious society that believed in multiple gods.  For a person to refine their faith to a single god was serious business.  But James reminds them they believe no more than the demons.  And, at least the demons have the reverence to tremble at that knowledge.  Perhaps they have more “faith” then some of us.  As the Word says elsewhere, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Real faith then, as defined by Abraham’s experience, is believing what God has SAID.  You can believe IN God all day long and never really believe what He has said.  This is the quagmire that many church-goers find themselves in.  They obviously believe in God or they would not be going to church.  However if you ask them if they believe the Bible is the word of God they will say “no!”  How is it possible to “believe God,” if you do not believe He has spoken?”  You can’t!  Faith deals directly with the issue of the integrety of God’s Word and what you believe about it,

This then is the primary attack of satan on faith.  Discredit the Bible in  a person’s mind and there can be no genuine faith.  Without the integrity of the Bible, faith is reduced to adherence to a creed, doctrinal system or ecclesiastical method. When this happens religious rite, activity and discipline is substituted for relationship with the living God and our “faith” is reduced to nothing more than religious self-effort.

Another problem occurs with many of those people that would claim the Bible is, in general, the inspired Word of God.  That is not enough either.  Real faith requires that specifics of God’s Word be acted upon.  Paul, who wrote Romans, and James once again point to Abraham as an example.  Both point put that Abraham OBEYED or acted on what He believed.  He stepped out and based his life and future on God’s Word, even though He didn’t know all the details about how things were going to work out.  The following scriptures show both his attitude of faith and his action of faith.

Romans 4:20-21 says, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

Heb 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”

The second characteristic of Faith is acting on, or perhaps we should say, obedience to, the spoken word or promise.  When God gives a directive, faith obeys it.  When God gives a promise, faith appropriates it through acting upon it.  In other words, genuine faith requires corresponding action.  The fact of the matter is you WILL act on what you believe.  If I told you there was $10,000 buried in a field you WOULD go look for it if you genuinely believed it was there.   Deep down we act on our beliefs, real or imagined.  Lack of action proves the lie of our confessed faith

Two last considerations concerning faith: The purpose of faith and the result of faith.

The purpose of faith is NOT to just “get something from God.”  God purposed that man would relate to Him based on faith because genuine faith requires relationship.  Many religions in the world have their “religious disciplines” that do not require actual relationship with God or others.  The major difference in genuine Christianity is the relationship factor, both with God and with other believers.

From a faith standpoint, overcoming issues and obtaining the things we need require us to relate to God; to believe Him; to trust Him.  And it is this dependence that brings us into a loving, humble, submissive and worship-filled relationship with Him.  Our faith, acted up on, brings glory to God.  Read again Romans 4:20, “He did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God….”  .

And finally there is the result of faith.  One major result (and we could say purpose) of faith is to glorify God. A secondary result of faith is the spiritual strengthening that takes place in our own lives and the third result of faith is the answer that results as a resposne to faith.

The heart of the matter is this: faith does not start with you or me.  It starts with God and His word.  Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (EVS) 

I encourage you to ask God to increase your faith and be ready to step out into an incredible journey.  God is looking for those who will believe Him, not just believe in Him.

Blessings,

Steve

Tags: Christian Growth, Discipleship, Faith, spirituality

Contrary to popular belief, God does not want you to be religious.  Actually, His desire is for you to be SPIRITUAL!  There is a major difference. 

Religion is man’s attempt to relate to God based on his own ideas and efforts.  It may be a noble goal, but it is entirely futile according to God. Spirituality on the other hand is the result of a man’s connection with God through the Holy Spirit.

Religion (any religion, even that with Christian ideas) starts on the outside with a set of laws, rituals and ceremonies and basically says, “If you do the dos and don’t the don’ts and go through the prescribed rites and rituals, it will all somehow soak into you and change you inwardly.  The problem is, it simply doesn’t work that way.  External things can never produce inward spiritual change.

Spirituality on the other hand starts on the inside.  God says, “let me come on the inside of you and change your heart inwardly by My Spirit and those inward changes will work their way out of you and change the way you act, think and talk.  It will affect your outlook on life and the direction in which you pursue life.

I can illustrate it with a computer.  You can change the tower color, add some hardware, give it a faster internet connection, but if the programming is messed up nothing external will make a difference.  The computer will spit out the same errors; it will just do it faster and be prettier.  This, in effect, is what religion does to people.  It really doesn’t reprogram them to act different; it just makes them look a bit better on the way to hell.

Man is religious by nature.  While many people today would say they don’t “practice religion,” (i.e. go to church) most still have a belief system that includes God.  It has been said that man was created with a “God-shaped hole inside of him.”  There is an emptiness in every person that drives them to find fulfillment.

Some allow God Himself to fill the void and make them complete.  Others try religion.  Some people, either ignorant of God or rejecting Him as a viable answer to their need, try to fill the void with other things. For some it might be relationships or sex; for others it is money, fame or power; still others fall prey to alcohol and drugs.  The options are endless and the end result is continual emptiness.  The excitement that comes with the new relationship, job, car, house, etc soon fades and the old emptiness creeps back to the forefront.  You can’t fit a square peg in a round hole.  Neither can you fill a spiritual void with natural things.

Religion starts with man’s effort to connect with God through externals.  Spirituality starts with God’s desire to redeem man through His Spirit.

The fact that man is basically religious was proven some time ago.  Some anthropologists set out to prove that religion was introduced into society later in man’s existence.  However they proved the exact opposite: Every society they found, no matter how far back they looked, not only had religious elements to it, they were generally centered on their religion as a society.

This explains why Pacific Islanders sacrificed virgins to volcanoes and primitive jungle tribes threw their babies to crocodiles.  Most primitive religions involve blood sacrifice; even it isn’t always human blood.  What does this teach us about man’s inherent religious nature?  Even if a man does not understand God and has a really warped concept of who He is and how He operates, somewhere deep inside of man is a concept that he is not right with God and that a death must occur to appease God.

Without even realizing it, people throughout the ages, spanning cultures and societies witness to the Biblical truth that a sacrificial death is the only thing that can fix the problems between sinful man and a Holy God. They simply are ignorant of God’s plan and set about trying to solve the problem in the best way they know how.  While noble, it is futile.

To this the Bible agrees when it says:

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:10 & 23.

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Romans 6:23.

“He (Jesus) became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”  II Corinthians 5:21

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”  Colossians 1:14 

I have often illustrated spiritual life with a light bulb.  A light bulb exists for the purpose of giving light.  That is its destiny at its creation.  While you can use a light bulb for a few others things (paint it, put a face on it and some yarn and make a craft out of it) that is not what it was created for,  Likewise your life was created with a divine destiny.  You have an eternal purpose that can only be fulfilled in connection with the creator.

You can have a room full of light bulbs and still have no light.  Why?  Because, even though the light bulb was created for the purpose of giving light, it can not do so on its own.  It must have an external power supply running through it to fulfill its destiny.  Likewise, though you were created for an awesome relationship with God and with great potential and divine destiny, you have no more power to fulfill it without the Spirit of God flowing through you than the light bulb does without electricity.

The Bible tells us, “He that is joined to the Lord is ONE SPIRIT with the Lord.”  God created man in His image and likeness.  God is a triune being. Triune means 3 in 1.  Accordingly He created man as a triune being: body, soul and spirit.  Man is essentially a soul, living in a body and possessing a spirit.  The soulish part of man is the real person.  The soul has two “interfaces.”  Through the physical body the soul interfaces or interacts with the physical world.  Through his spirit man interacts with the spiritual                   realm.  He may connect to God or even with occultic power.

When a person responds to God and believes the truth about Jesus Christ, confessing and repenting of their sins and accepting Jesus as their savior, God connects with that person via His spirit and the human spirit.  All of a sudden (just like the electricity running through a light bulb when the switch is flipped) there is an external power supply available to enable a human to fulfill their divine destiny.

This CONNECTION is called salvation, or being saved, or being born again, or any one of a dozen other terms Christians use to explain the event.  Essentially when the issue of sin is dealt with through Jesus, God pours life into that person by His Holy Spirit.

You see, religion is external, man made and does not require God at all. It is based on what man can do to connect with God externally. Spirituality on the other hand requires God to make it work.

How about you?  Have you successfully asked and answered the question about your sins?  Have you been born again?  Are you spiritual or are you just religious?

Tags: Christian Growth, Discipleship, Salvation, spirituality

There’s an old saying about killing two birds with one stone.  It has been said by someone more cleaver than me that Jesus killed two stones with one bird.  The two stones of course being the two tables the 10 commandments were written on and the Bird being representative of the Holy Spirit.

 ”For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. “  Rom 8:2-4

I find that Christians still struggle most with the concept of grace and law.  While we evangelicals are quick to assert we are “saved by grace through faith, plus nothing, minus nothing,” we seemed to get bogged down with telling everyone the have to keep the 10 commandments to be right with God.

I thought I just heard a giant sucking sound as millions of evangelicals all took a deep breath at once.

The first response I am likely to get is that Christians are still obligated to keep the 10 commandments.  After all they are the 10 commandments; we learned them in Sunday school, and heard them preached all our lives.  They are the quintessential proof of Christianity; the litmus test of orthodoxy.  We display them on signs and demand the rest of the world live by our standards.

Now you might be asking exactly what I mean by “Killing two stones with one bird.”  Does it really mean that Christians are not obligated to keep the 10 commandments?  Well yes and no.  Let me explain.

First if you are not a Jew, you were never under the law in the first place, and the heart of the law was the 10 commandments.  Right? 

Eph 2:11-12 “Wherefore remember that you, once nations in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that called circumcision in the flesh done with the hand;  that ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus you who once were afar off are become nigh by the blood of the Christ.” Darby Bible

So the New Testament tells us that Gentiles were never obligated to the law, because the covenant, of which the law was a part, was never made with them.  God never told a Gentile to be holy like He was, because He did not make a covenant with any other group or race of people other than the Israelites.

That is why God, through Jesus, instituted a NEW COVENANT with the Jewish nation and thus the Gentiles. The only covenant that matters is the New one made through faith in Christ.  What does this mean in regards to keeping the 10 commandments.

When Jesus died and rose again He sent the Holy Spirit to live in His disciples. In Galatians Paul is dealing with the problem of the Jews who ran behind Him telling his converts that they still needed to keep the law and Jewish rituals and feast days to be saved.  Paul uses a valid argument in chapter 3.  He asks, “tell me, you who want to be under the law, did you receive the Holy Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?”  Good question!  For 1500 years Israel lived under the law and not one single person got filled with the Holy Spirit or received eternal life because of it. Paul goes on the ask, “Are you so foolish having begun in the Spirit you want to be made perfect by the flesh?”  He is basically saying, if you couldn’t get it started by keeping the law, what makes you can finish it by keeping it?

In  Galatians 2:21 Paul says, “I do not frustrate the grace of God, if righteousness comes by the law, Christ is dead in vain.”   That is a pretty pointed statement.

Likewise the point is made in Romans 8:3: “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”

Here is the point.  You and I will never be made right with God by keeping the 10 commandments.  We are made right with God SOLEY on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ.  The scriptures tell us “Jesus became sin for us who knew no sin that WE might be made the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in Christ Jesus.”  You are either righteous because you keep the 10 commandments or you are righteous because you believed in Jesus and it was “counted to you for righteousness” (Romans 4:3-8).

The fact of the matter is this.  We need to stop telling people to keep the 10 commandments to be right with God.  We are quick to hand out list of does and don’ts.  However, most people know they have failed and have at times tried to stop and found they couldn’t.  I am convinced that is a major reason why some people bring up hypocrites in the church.  I think it is because they don’t think they could live like a Christian is expected to live.  They’ve tried and  failed without the power of the Holy Spirit to help them.  They can not know that victory is possible until they come to know the person who was victorious over sin - Jesus!  So, telling a sinner to stop sinning is a bit futile.  We need to tell sinners that there is power for life and it isn’t just about sin, it is about life - abundant life that Jesus promised.

The message is forgiveness and grace through Jesus.  The same grace that forgives also changes us.  One problem with evangelicalism is the definition we place on grace.  It is usually theologically defined as “unmerited favor” or, as a Bible study group I had once came to call it, “unearned advantage.”  However that is only one half of the real definition of grace.  The other half is “divine enablement,” or divine power imparted to us.

If we believe that divine righteousness is imparted, why can we not also believe that divine power is imparted also.  Dr. Strong of the Strongs Concordence and Greek and Hebrew Dictionary defines grace this way.  “The divine influence on the heart AND its reflection in the life.”  True grace that forgives also converts and changes.  A life that doesn’t change has never been touched by the grace of God.

The crux of the matter is telling people they have to stop sinning to be right with God. This is not only impossible, it is Biblically incorrect.  We are justified by faith in Christ and that same grace will begin the transformational work in our lives.  Preaching grace, not law, will get the job done much quicker.

Blessings, Steve

In the last article (part 4 of ther series) we looked at the current concepts of “ministry.”  The popular idea is that of position, power, authority and at least a little bit of being catered to.  These are foreign notions to to New testament ministers and writers. 

As we saw earlier, the word Ministry was the Greek word from which we get deacon.  It literally means “to run errands.”  So “ministers are “errand boys.”  Not exactly the ego stroking concept we often run into today.

Jesus is our pattern in all things.  Ministry is no different. He said, “I came to serve not be served.”  Too many people today see “ministry” as a celebrity status.  While the present  mindset emphasizes position, the New Testament emphasized attitude.  What is the attitude of the real “minister?”

If ministry means “running errands”, then the attitude of ministry is service.  I said in the last article that God wants servants who lead, not leaders who serve.  My wife argues with me that there is not a difference.  I strongly stick to my guns.  The attitude is everything.  The “leader” mentality starts on top and has to humble itself to serve.  However the servant mentality starts from a place of servanthood, not authority.

The New Testament “minister” sees his or her “ministry” as a service in two directions.  The first is serving God.  The second is serving people. In regards to serving God, the body of Christ is just that, God physical extension on earth.  Our job is to allow God to use us to get His will done,  Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “thy kingdom come, they will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven.”  There is no way to seriously pray that prayer without making ourselves available for the demonstration of His kingdom and the accomplishment of His will.  To pray it and to expect it to happen apart from human participation in general or even personal participation in particular, is to miss the point altogether. Each of us, not just the professional clergy is to be a minister FOR God.

The other aspect being a minister is to minister TO God.  To attend Him.  The Old testament tells us that the priests went daily into the Holy Place accomplishing the “service of God.”   This Holy Place ministry didn’t have much to do with serving people, because only priests were allowed in this section of the temple.  It was about communion with and ministry to God.  Three items were in the holy Place: the golden altar of incense representing prayer and worship, the golden candlestick representing the illumination of God’s word and the Golden table of shew bread, representing communion and spiritual nourishment from God. 

It was in the Holy Place that the priest related to God personally.  To be an effective minister each of us needs our daily time in the Holy Place o f prayer, worship, Bible study and communion with the Spirit of God.

The outward aspect of ministry related to serving people.Rev Dave Hamer, from American Patriots in Prayer was a former pastor of mine.  He said something I will never forget. “If you are going to be used by God, you are going to be used by people.”  I have found this to be a true statement.

We’ve been discussing the attitude of the minister.  To often today we find the attitude that the ministry is to be served and cateredto. Jesus modeled a pattern of selfless ministry.  People used Him all the time.  My personal opinion is that many of the people who flocked to Him in the crowds were among those who were shouting “crucify Him, crucify Him,” on the day of the crucifixion.

Genuine ministry is not about YOU, it is about the one you are ministering for (God) and the ones you are ministering to (people).  When minister becomes about the minister many difficulties arise. This is what produces, arrogance, pride, control, burnout and much damage in the Church.

Every young ministry has to pass through the idea that ministry is about them.  The quicker the better.  We are often excited about ministry because of the things we get out of it:  recognition, feelings of usefulness, leading, being in front of people and many other flesh-based motives.  While God works around these things initially, the minster that will not allow God to purge the mixed motives will either burn out or damage the church.

The truth is ministry is not all that much fun to the flesh, there is a cost involved in real ministry.

The minister was a servant - not a king.  His leadership role is by example and his authority comes from respect.  The attitude was one of sacrifice for the sake of the Master and those He died to save.  Jesus told His disciples, if you want to be a leader, be a servant.

Tags: christian development, clergy, leadership, Ministry

Christian Chain Letters!  Ever get one?  You know the, “send this to 10 people and God will magically transform your life into a ‘happily ever after’ scene and a neat picture will pop up on your screen to boot.” 

Well I got ANOTHER one yesterday and decided I had had enough of them.  Normally I just trash them, even if the message they contain is good, because I honestly believe the association with the superstition of chain letters is not good.  However today I chose to reply to everyone in the carbon copy list.  Man did I get heat.

Now you may say that superstition is just that, ridiculous folk belief that does mean a hill of beans to anyone.  To that I agree. However the issue is not superstition, it is the fact that chain letters, by their very nature carry with them both implied, if not expressed, curse and blessing.

In the old days a chain letter was “not to be broken” on pain of some terrible thing happening. (In times past the letters contained a few horror stories of the foolish souls who broke the chain and suffered the consequences.)  While “christian chain letters” tend to leave off the curse part, it is still implied by the admonishment not to break it.

My biggest issue though is that God does not use such fleshly methods to convey the gospel of Jesus Christ.  These letters usually contain some promised blessing or a challange to the genuiness of your Christianity if you don’t pass it along.  (e.g. Do you have the guts to stand up for Jesus?) God does not resort to bribes or manipulation to spread His word.

You might be saying, why not just trash it and leave everyone else alone!  The real issue is that I believe it is not nuetral, it is damaging to the body of Christ. 

Obviously the first issue is, it is a lie!  God does not use lies to spread the truth.  God isn’t going to bless you for passing along an E-Mail and a “neat suprise” isn’t going to pop up on your screen after you send it to 20 people.

Next we send a false messsage to Christians about HOW the gospel is spread.  It in not by manipulation or bribery.

And finally, the entire idea of the chain letter “not to be broken” implies a curse.  Curses and blessings are real.  The very reason you put a worm on a hook is to make a fish think he is getting something good, when in fact something bad (bondage, pain, death) is the real purpose.  Satan is no different.  He hides his bondages inside seemingly innocent and even positive things. Remember the Bible tells us that satan is “an angel of light”. 

One of the reasons why Christianity is losing its power in the western world is because we are watering down the message of the gospel with worldly and fleshly methods.  I genuinely believe it is time for Christians to point out the foolishness that we have allowed to go on in Jesus’ name.  I don’t think Christian chain letters honor Jesus in any way shape or form.

If you have something to send that might bless people, do so - but not in the context of a chain letter with implied blessings and cursings.

Tags: chain letters, Christian, Evangelism, gospel